{"id":47074,"date":"2016-01-21T07:15:55","date_gmt":"2016-01-21T12:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=47074"},"modified":"2021-05-05T08:36:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T12:36:31","slug":"mindfulness-guide-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/mindfulness-guide-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Complete Guide to Mindfulness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mindfulness
Photo by\u00a0Dylan Luder<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Does your Monday-Friday grind mean an onslaught of meetings, appointments and responsibilities? Us too. Our \u201cgo-go-go\u201d society has glorified being busy: working lean, swift and hard for maximum efficiency.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Mindfulness for Athletes: The Secret to Better Performance?<\/a><\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s been recent backlash to this non-stop mentality, with the proliferation of meditation apps<\/a>, coloring books<\/a> and other tools and devices to help individuals cope with stress, impulsivity and anxiety. Behind all these stress-busting activities, tips and tools, though, underlies one common philosophy, which can also be put into practice (if you aren\u2019t already!): mindfulness.<\/p>\n

Ellen Langer, PhD and professor of psychology at Harvard University, who has been studying mindfulness since the 1970s, defines mindfulness as \u201cthe very simple process of noticing new things, which puts us in the present and makes us more sensitive to context and perspective.\u201d It is the essence of engagement with one\u2019s own thoughts and actions, she says. Here\u2019s exactly what you need to know about mindfulness, how it can help you manage stress, earn that raise or allow you to finally figure out how to make \u201cfamily first\u201d a reality.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Meditate: A Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/a><\/p>\n

Mindfulness, Explained<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Think of mindfulness as a state of mind, says Melanie Greenberg, a clinical psychologist in Marin, CA. \u201cA mindful approach to life means being more kind, accepting and self-aware of your own thoughts and actions. It\u2019s about learning to go with the flow, being open and experiencing the present moment,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the key ingredients of mindfulness is not falling into an automatic reactive state,\u201d says Sharon Salzberg, co-founder of Insight Meditation Society<\/a>. Furthermore, Salzberg adds that mindfulness is \u201cbeing aware of our perception of what\u2019s happening in the present moment without bias.\u201d This way of thinking allows for a clearer sense of reality, rather than a perceived notion of what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

How to Practice Mindfulness (No Extra Time Required!)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If it seems like adding a mindfulness practice to your already busy life will be overwhelming, don\u2019t worry: You\u2019re probably already living more mindfully than you realize. Utilizing mindfulness doesn\u2019t have to mean making any kind of drastic lifestyle change. For most of us, it just means paying attention to our choices, actions and behaviors a bit more closely.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Dread Working Out? Here\u2019s What Will Motivate You<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPart of being mindful is just being connected to what\u2019s happening in the moment,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cWhether you\u2019re with your children or in a meeting, it\u2019s about being fully present and not cheating yourself by half-thinking about something else and letting your mind wander.\u201d Being mindful is recognizing that your mind is wandering, and bringing it back<\/a> to the present moment.<\/p>\n

Think about the things you do every day, and take note of how you can do them with more intention and awareness, whether it\u2019s walking the dog, cooking dinner for your family, taking a loud spin class or spending time with that coloring book<\/a>. \u201cNotice everything you see while you\u2019re out for your walk,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cPay attention to everything you smell and hear, focusing on your senses in the moment.\u201d If you\u2019ve jumped on board the adult coloring book bandwagon, don\u2019t \u201czone out\u201d with it \u2014 use this as a time to zone in<\/em>.<\/p>\n

How Mindfulness Improves Your Health and Your Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cResearch shows<\/a> that being mindful actually changes the brain,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cBrain scan studies find that acting mindfully increases brain activity in the areas associated with positive emotion instead of negative. It makes you feel more centered, light and powerful, and less stressed<\/a>. Learning to live mindfully will increase<\/a> your wellbeing, lower your blood pressure, help productivity at work and help you sleep better, too,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 10 Tricks to Instantly Boost Happiness<\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, leading a more mindful life could ultimately improve your relationships with others. \u201cCouples fight all the time,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cWe get triggered and rapidly go into fight or flight mode \u2014 we get angry or we shut down, run away or avoid. Mindfulness can help you stop, slow things down, back off and give your brain time to catch up with your body\u2019s emergency response. You\u2019ll be able to calm down and figure out the most effective way to communicate,\u201d she says. So instead of yelling at our spouse for not taking out the trash \u2014 again <\/em>\u2014 we can find a more compassionate way to have a conversation, not a battle.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most importantly in today\u2019s world, mindfulness teaches us to stop freaking out about the past and future so much, and to just relax with where we are. \u201cSo put your cell phone down,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cSavor the present moment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mindfulness may be a buzzy word in the wellness world right now \u2014 but do you know what it’s all about? Here\u2019s how to tap into it for better health (and sanity!). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,12,15],"tags":[229,280,282,341,360],"class_list":["post-47074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-mental-health","category-stress","tag-mindfulness","tag-sleep","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2stress-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47074\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}